Children's home run by Kirklees Council in Kirklees

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 1 SC033387 Registered provider: Kirklees Metropolitan Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides residential short breaks and emergency support for children aged up to 18 years old, who may have physical disabilities, learning disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was not running at full capacity as the short- breaks service is not yet fully operational. Senior leaders have a plan to resume the short-breaks service.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified for the role and registered with Ofsted in April 2023. At the time of the inspection, there was one child living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 22 February 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/10/2022 Full Inadequate 18/10/2021 Full Good 11/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have experienced well-planned moves into and from the home. Throughout this process, the manager and her staff team keep their focus on the child’s needs. This means that children are well supported to manage emotive changes associated with their care arrangements. As a result, children experience positive beginnings in their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff promote stability for children. Working alongside other professionals, staff gradually taught one child communication skills. This has enabled the child to learn creative ways to express difficult feelings and anxieties, thereby enabling others to better understand and support the child to succeed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager seeks out expert advice and guidance from relevant health professionals to learn about children’s complex health needs. This paves the way for children to access the right healthcare. In doing so, staff feel empowered to improve children’s quality of life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals who are involved with children speak positively about the care provided in the home. The manager has established and nurtured good working relationships with a host of valuable networks. This promotes consistency of care and improved support for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff hold meaningful conversations with children and address concerning language or emerging prejudices. However, written records do not reflect the messages and values that staff convey to children. Consequently, children and others will not sense the role modelling that has occurred if they read children’s written records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team has been creative in decorating and furnishing the children’s bedrooms. Each bedroom has its own distinct identity which is reflected through a particular theme. However, the grounds around the home have fallen into a state of depreciation. Additionally, some interior repair work has not met the manager’s expected standard. The manager has raised these issues with the local authority and has an ongoing improvement plan.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are not afraid to challenge their colleagues about perceived poor practice. When this is done, it is done appropriately, effectively and with children in mind. These actions bolster accountability across the team, keeping children’s well-being as the team’s primary focus.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s risk assessments are focused, succinct and clear for staff to follow. This has provided staff with increased confidence to better support children in times of Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 4 challenge. Additionally, the systems in place around risk management have bolstered children’s safety as staff are consistently applying the agreed care practices.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff exhaust agreed care strategies prior to contacting the police to report children missing. There are effective working relations with the police and protocols to share soft intelligence are effective. The manager consistently ensures that an independent person speaks to and supports children after each missing episode. These factors combined build context around any vulnerabilities in the local community. This enables support and resources to be more effectively targeted to better support children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager has made good efforts to learn about potential risks in the community that could compromise the safety of children who live in the home. The manager has sought advice from safeguarding partners to develop a dynamic location risk assessment. In doing so, the manager has strengthened the home’s resolve to mitigate risks in the community that could potentially impinge on children’s welfare.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have been creative using social stories to teach children what they need to do in the unlikely event of a fire breaking out in the home. This approach has prevented children experiencing unnecessary distress and anxiety. Additionally, children have a clear personal emergency evacuation plan. This bolsters the safety planning and increases staff confidence to follow the agreed fire drill.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has supported staff to review how they record information so that it more accurately reflects decision-making associated with the children’s care. This has created better transparency. This activity has also improved the quality of information that stakeholders receive. These steps have increased stakeholder confidence in the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have clearly defined roles and there is an experienced deputy manager who bolsters the support received by staff. However, not all tasks that the manager delegates are consistently executed on time in the manager’s absence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager represents the home at the local authority’s placement panel. The manager has therefore bolstered her ability to determine whether social workers are making appropriate referrals. The manager’s presence on the panel has also created the opportunity for professionals to better understand the home’s remit.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders have supported the manager to forge links with other short-break settings that have a strong inspection record. The manager has embraced this as a learning opportunity. Additionally, the manager has forged ties with the home’s neighbours. These initiatives support the manager’s vision to evolve and improve the service’s standing in the local community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious to evolve the service provided to children and the skills of the staff team. However, although the manager has a comprehensive workforce Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 5 development plan, it does not detail the additional training and resource that she is seeking that will improve the service. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming. In particular, this includes maintaining the grounds around the home for children to enjoy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include a record of ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities

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Recommendations

and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. There should be clear lines of accountability. Each home must have clear arrangements in place to maintain effective management when the manager is absent, off duty or on leave. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that information about the child is recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular, this refers to the recording of important conversations with the child that would assist the child in later life to understand why staff were worried about aspects of the child’s behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kirklees Metropolitan Council, Civic Centre 3, Huddersfield, Yorkshire HD1 2EY

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Inspectors

Shirin Khan, Social Care Inspector Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033387 8 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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